Trick or Treat? The Best Games For Your Halloween Party

As the nights draw in, the leaves begin to yellow and fall, and Strictly Come Dancing is back in the TV schedule, only one thing can be at the forefront of your mind. Yes, we thought so – party season! And it all kicks off with Halloween. It definitely brings out the big kid in all of us and – year on year – more of us in the UK are getting into the spirit and joining the party.

Here are some fantastic, gruesome ideas to help your party become a spook-tacular frightfest for the whole family to enjoy:

The Mummy Wrap

All you need for this game to work is a good stock of loo roll. Divide yourself into teams – you’ll need a minimum of three to a team – and make sure you have an unbiased judging team (difficult when you are the actual Mummy, we know!) Each group then selects the person to be the ‘Mummy’, start the timer and the teams get wrapping! The best (most covered) Mummy wins a prize. Great prize ideas include goo and slime, as well as Halloween-themed candy party bags.

Medusa Musical Statues

All kids love to dance, and there’s no better way to get a party started than getting everyone up and dancing to musical statues. It’s a firm favourite and fun for all ages. Make sure you put together a fabulous Halloween party playlist for this – and throughout the party. Here are some great tracks that are guaranteed to get everyone in the Halloween spirit:

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Monster Mash by Bobby “Borris” Pickett

Love Potion No 9 by The Clovers

Disturbia by Rihanna

She Wolf by Shakira

The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Show

The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga

If your party goers are a bit too old for this kids favourite, then why not throw a Dastardly Dance Off? Who will throw the best Monster Mash between Elphaba and Harry Potter? Does Dracula or the Zombie Cheerleader give a superior Time Warp? One thing’s for sure, if you’re getting down with kids, this is where good control shapewear comes into its own, and will ensure you come off the dance floor looking as great as when you stepped onto it.

Spooky Take on Party Classics

There’s a reason certain party games crop up year after year. Eternally popular, these appeal to kids of all ages and don’t require ridiculous tech to set up. One such classic is apple bobbing. All you need is a bucket or bowl, fresh water and a nice mix of green and red apples. Just make sure you have plenty of towels on standby! For those not wanting to ruin their face paint, you can set up ‘dry apple bobbing’ by placing marshmallows in flour.

Another great option for younger children is a spooky version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Try Pin the Tail on the Cat or Pin the Hat on the Witch. Once you’re ready to play, all you need is a blindfold and some blu tack, and you’re away. Make sure to spin the contestant around a couple of times before sending them off, you don’t want to make it too easy!

Another great idea for young party goers is a scary version of pass the parcel. For this, you’ll need the usual gift, wrapped multiple times, as well as the accompanying music. The scary part comes in the form of a bucket, covered with plastic and a hole large enough for a hand to pass through. Fill the bucket with oily cooked ‘brains’ pasta and ‘eyeball’ olives, as well as bags of sweets. If the music stops on them, they have to unwrap a layer of paper and then place their hand in the bucket to try and get some sweets. This one isn’t for the squeamish!

Spine-chilling Scavenger Hunt

If you’re looking for an ice breaker, a Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt is ideal. A spine-chilling take on a treasure hunt, you’ll lead your guests on a quest for a grand prize. There are lots of online resources, so you needn’t spend long designing your own clues. Place the clues in disembowelled pumpkins around the party venue, along with sweets or toys for the victors to collect along the way (just make sure there are enough for all the teams!) If you have older kids, you can make the clues harder to decipher, lower the lighting to raise the scariness and impose a time limit for added pressure.

Piñata Attack

Not all piñatas are colourful, Mexican themed animals. You can get hold of piñatas in all shapes and sizes nowadays, including a witch or skeleton. If you have the space (outdoors is ideal if it’s not too chilly) then kids love nothing better than attacking a piñata, and sharing out the spoils of victory. This is great for dissipating energy, especially if they’ve already been tucking into sweet treats throughout the event!

So come on party people, get your pointy planning hats on and kick start the Winter with a kids Halloween party to remember. Don’t forget dressing up’s not just for the kids, it’s important you get in character too! And whatever your look – whether you go for an all-out Zombie fright-fest or a sleek, corseted Morticia Addams, you can feel confident in looking great when underneath it all sits streamlined, high quality shapewear!